The #AER2025 SmartScoring Shooting Stars are ... Zoltán Lőcsei (HUN) and Anastasiia Kurashvili (UKR)

At the conclusion of the 2025 European Championships in Aerobic Gymnastics in Ganja (AZE), Aida Shaliyeva, Project Manager of our global partner SmartScoring, presented the SmartScoring Shooting star award to Hungary’s Zoltán Lőcsei and Ukaine’s Anastasiia Kurashvili.

Started in 2018, this award aims to put a gymnast with an exceptional story in the spotlight, someone who is an inspiration for the future generation of gymnasts and the general public alike.

Zoltán Lőcsei is one of the most successful athletes in the history of Hungarian aerobic gymnastics, holding two European, two World and two World Games. At the age of 17, the former acrobatic gymnast approached his current coaches Andrea Sinko and Monika Sipos, expressing his desire to try aerobics. He advanced to the national team relatively quickly, and over the past decade has become one of the sport’s most accomplished figures. An interesting fact: throughout his career, he has represented Hungary in every category. His charismatic personality and kind attitude have laid the foundation for many international friendship and made him a perfect a role model for young athletes. Deeply passionate about the sport, Zoltán aims to pass on his love for Aerobics also as a coach.

The journey of Anastasiia Kurashvili (UKR) in aerobics began at the age of five, in a small gym where she first discovered what rhythm, strength, and character truly mean. Back then, she didn’t yet know that one day she would be called “Grace” for her unique elegance, natural artistry, and unique ability to turn every movement into a story. Now she is 21. Behind her are years of hard work, thousands of training sessions, and countless victories. Her journey was far from easy. During the war, her hometown came under occupation, forcing her to seek refuge abroad. Yet, as soon as it became possible, she returned home. She never sought the easy way, she simply knew her place was here: with her team, with her country, with Ukraine. Today, Anastasiia continues to train in a border town despite cold gyms, air raid alarms, and power outages. And still, when she steps onto the floor, the world around her fades. There is only music, movement, and the magic she creates through her grace, reaching the very top of her sport. She became a World Champion, European Champion, World Cup winner, bronze medalist at The World Games, and earned the titles of International Master of Sport and Honoured Master of Sport of Ukraine. She stands as a symbol of beauty, strength, and unbreakable faith in one’s dream. And her story is far from over: with every performance, she continues to write a new chapter in the history of Ukrainian gymnastics.